Advertising-automaton.



No. 660,485. Patented Oct. 23, I900. C. T. BRADSHAW.

ADVERTISING AUTOMATON.

(Application filed Dec/8, 1899.) (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet l.

ADVERTISING AUTUMATON.

(Application filed Dec. 8, 1899.) (No Model. 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFice.

CHARLES T. BRADSHAW, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

ADVERTISING-AUTOMATON.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 660,485, dated October 23, 1900.

Application fil d December 8, 1899. serial No. 739,672. \No model.)

To all whom it may concern;

Be it known that I, CHARLES T. BRADSHAW, a. citizen of the United States, residing at Philadelphia, in the county of Philadelphia, State of Pennsylvania, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Advertising- Automatons; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to advertising devices in general, and more particularly to that class known as movable figures, signs, or attractions; and it has for-its object to provide a simple and efficient construction in which the figure of a boy or girl may be caused to move and to have the appearance of blowing bubbles from a pipe.

In the drawings forming a part of this specification, and in which like numerals of reference indicatesimilar parts in the several views, Figure l is a perspective view showing the complete figure in front view. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the figure-operating mechanism, the portion of the figure being shown in dotted lines. Fig. 3 is a detail view showing a portion of the figure in section and part of the arm-operating connections. Fig. 4 is a detail view of the cut-off. Fig. 5 is a detail view of the pipe-arm, partly in section, and showing the arm-bending means and the arrangement of the air-tube; and Fig. 6 is a (letail view showing the fan-armin section and illustrating the fan-operating mechanism.

Referring now to the drawings, 5 represents the casing, upon which is mounted the figure of a boy 6, standing beside a table '7. The arms of this figure are movable, being pivoted at the shoulder-joints, as shown, and the right forearm has an oscillatory shaft 8, mounted in bearings on the rear side thereof. To this shaft 8 is fixed the right hand 9, having a fan 10 therein, and which is adapted to wave and set up air-currents which will act to blow the bubble from the pipe after it is made. In order to oscillate this shaft 8, a

crank 11 is fixed to its rear end in the rear of the elbow, and to this crank is fixed the end of a cord or wire 12, the opposite end of which is fixed to one end of a lever 13, pivoted to the back of the figure and having a cord 14 attached thereto and extending downwardly of the back of the figure and through guides thereon and into the inclosure of the casing upon which the figure stands. The left arin 15 has a hinge-joint at the elbow, the hinge 16 being located at the back of the arm and at the point of the elbow, the ends of the leaves of the hinge being continued divergingly toward the upper side of the arm at each side of the elbow, as shown, the outermost leaf having an eyein its extremity. In the eye of the outermost leaf 17 of the hinge is tied one end of a cord, which is passed through a pulley l9 and downwardly of the back of the figure and into the casing 5. This last-named cord is shown at 20 and if drawn downwardly will act first to raise the forearm of the left arm and then the entire arm, bringing the left hand toward the mouth of the figure. In the fingers of the left hand is held a bubble-pipe 22, as shown, and when the left arm is raised the stem of the pipe is brought to the lips. When the cord 20 is re leased, the pipe is lowered into a bowl 24 upon the table, this bowl being filled with soapsuds. If then the pipe be first lowered into the bowl and the left arm is then raised to raise the pipe and air is then forced through the pipe, a bubble will be blown. Ifthen the fan be waved, it will act to, set up air-currents which will blow the bubbles from the pipe.

In order to give the above-mentioned operation to the parts, a shaft 25 is mounted in suitable bearings in uprights 26, which are fixed to the bottom of the casing 5. shaft is fixed a pulley 27, which is driven from a pulley-Wheel 28 upon a counter-shaft 29, which has a worm-and-screw connection with the shaft of a motor 30, from which it is thus rotated at a lower speed than the motor. Normally the figure is in a position to hold the pipe to the lips, and in order to lower the pipe into the suds and then raise it again the shaft 25 has a wheel 31 fixed thereon and which wheel has a peripheral cam depression 49. A lever 47 within the casing has a rounded rear end 34., adapted to enter the depression and then to be forced from it as the wheel 31 rotates, the lever being thus rocked and its outer end correspondingly moved. This outer end of the lever 47 has On this the lower end of the cord 20 attached thereto,

and thus while the end 49 is riding upon the periphery of the wheel 31 the arm will'remain raised with the pipe to the lips; but when the end 49 enters the depression 34 the arm will be lowered for an instant to dip the pipe into the suds.

In order to make the operation; of the apparatus realistic, the air which blows the hubble must be supplied to the pipe only when the latter is in'its raised position and must be out 01f as soon as the pipe is lowered and must remain cut oit until it is again raised.

To supply air to the pipe, a bellows 40 is provided and has its blowpipe 41 connected with the stem of the pipe by means of a rubber tube 43, as shown, and which tube is connected with the pipe through the hand of the figure. The bellows is operated by means of a connecting-rod 44, which is attached to one end of the bellows and has a hearing at the other end upon a crank 46, fixed to the counter-shaft 29. This bellows works constantly, and in order to permit the passage of air from the bellows through the blowpipe to the tube 43 at the proper times the tube 41 has a plugvalve therein, the stem of which is provided with a crank 56, which enters a slot in the lever 47. Thus as the lever 47 rises and falls the supply of air to the pipe is turned on and off. Thus the air is supplied to the tube only when the pipe is raised. To draw the cord 14 and to operate the fan, the lower end of the cord is secured to a bell-crank 62, the opposite end of which has a cord or wire 64 leading to a lever 65, which is adapted for engagement by a lug or cam 66 upon the wheel 31 just after the supply of air is cut off, this engagement of the lever by the cam acting to draw the attached cords and move the oscillatory shaft upon the rightforearm in one direction, said shaft being returned to its normal position by means of an encircling helical spring 67 as shown. Thus it will be seen that as the motor is operated, if the bowl upon the table have suds in it, the pipe will be dipped into the suds and then lifted to the lips of the figure. The air will then be blown through the pipe through the rubber tube which is connected therewith through one of the fingers of the figure, and, after the bubble'is blown, the flow of air is cut off and the fan is then waved to blow the bubble from the pipe.

It will of course be understood that in practice the specific construction and arrangementshown and described may be varied and that various modifications may be made without departing from the spirit of my invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is- 1. An ad vertising-figu re comprising a body having removable arms, a pipe carried by one of the arms,a source of air-pressure connected with the pipe means for admitting the air and for cutting it off from the said source to the pipe, and a fan adapted for operation after the air is cut oif, and adapted to set up drafts in the direction of the pipe.

2. An advertising-figu re comprising abody having movable members, means for raising and lowering the members a pipe carried by one of the members, means for supplying air to said pipe intermittently and means for setting up a draft in the direction of the pipe after the air-supply has ceased.

3. A movable sign-figure comprising a body having movable members, a pipe carried by one of the members, means for supplying air to the pipe intermittently, a fan carried by the other member and adapted to set up aircurrents in the direction of the pipe intermittently, and means for energizing the pipe.

4. A sigh-figure comprising a body having movable arms a pipe carried by one of the arms, a bellows connected with the pipe, 2.

cut-ofi between the bellows and the pipe adapted to open and close the supply of air from the bellows to the pipe, a fan carried by the second arm, and means for raising the pipe, means for subsequently opening the airsupply, means for subsequently operating the fan, and means for finally lowering the pipearm.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

CHARLES T. BRADSHAW. Witnesses:

EDWARD S. AHERN, THEO. H. McOALLA, Jr. 

